One problem that’s faced by most of the businesses that deal with customer calls sooner or later is too much incoming call traffic and too few staff to pick up those calls. IVR, or interactive voice response, handles this problem quite efficiently. It answers the calls, asks callers what they need, sends them to the right destination, and handles simple tasks like checking account balance or sharing business hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
IVR systems are quite heavily used by businesses to organize and optimize their call flows. If you too are wondering how to set up an IVR system, then know that the process is quite simple than it may sound. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once you have the IVR software, you can decide how the calls should be handled and map out the call flow. However, the exact steps might be different depending on your IVR platform, your telephony infrastructure, and whether you opted for cloud or on-premise deployment. The purpose of this post is to help you understand the various aspects related to IVR setup, so that before you proceed, you have all your doubts cleared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To set up an IVR system<\/a>, you primarily need to perform a few steps such as deciding what the IVR should do, picking up the IVR software, mapping out the call flow, setting up the prompts and routing, connecting the software with your telephony and existing business tools, and then testing it before finally launching it. Here’s a quick glance at the process, step by step<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prepping up a bit before you set up your IVR system can save a lot of time and effort later. Here’s how to stay sorted:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Begin by answering “Why do you need IVR?” Is it for support, sales routing, billing questions, or self-service? With an answer to this, next move to your call numbers: how many calls arrive in a day, week, or month? More importantly, figure out how many callers call at the same time. Further, list out your departments, agents, languages, and service hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Select a suitable IVR platform and a PBX. Along with that, you need a contact center platform that works with your IVR. Many reliable providers like REVE offer a contact center platform with smart IVR and many other advanced telephony features. Next, work on your business number, recorded prompts, routing destinations, and agent extensions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This one is important for seamless operation of your IVR. Ensure that your network can carry voice traffic and that firewalls won’t block it. Set permissions to access data and security rules to protect caller data. Most importantly, assign one person the admin rights of the IVR software, so that there’s someone to manage things once it is live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Start by listing out the reasons why people call you. It could be order status, balance checks, or office hours, or anything. Such queries can be easily handled by IVR without any human intervention. Other queries, such as complaints, billing issues, etc., that are complex in nature need agents. Understanding these will help you in shaping the overall structure of your IVR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are the basics that you need to define: <\/p>\n\n\n\n The software you choose should be able to handle your call routing, menu setup, speech recognition, reporting, etc., with ease and efficiency. It would be better to ensure that the software can grow with your call volume and how it protects the data. Then comes the deployment. Cloud IVR setups offer fast performance without much hardware maintenance. On-premise is better if you want total control. Hybrid sits in between, keeping some pieces in-house and others in the cloud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next, you ned to map out your caller’s journey from the first greeting till the call is completed. Therefore, cover these areas in your design:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Make sure you keep everything simple and easy for callers. Any menu level that sounds confusing should simply not be added in the very first place\/.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now is the time when you should record or upload your audio prompts. Then move towards setting up your menu choices and decide what happens after each one. One important consideration here is to set input timeouts, so that if a caller is quiet isn’t left hanging. When recording prompts and menu options, keep them short, clear, and concise. Also, match it with the tone of your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this step, decide where each caller gets routed when they choose an option from the menu. Then cover the situations that don’t go acc. to the menu. Next, set up business-hour routing and holiday schedules. Also, decide what happens when agents are unavailable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here, the IVR connects with the real business phone network, or the PBX, or the contact center setup. Typically, it will involve connecting your phone numbers and inbound call routes, configuring SIP trunks<\/a>, and mapping IVR destinations to extensions and agent queues. You’ll also link your CRM or database with the IVR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here you need to decide who gets the admin rights for the IVR software. Add authentication because IVR often works with customer data, which is sensitive in nature. Also use secure connections and ensure that your setup meets the relevant security and compliance requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The best way to know about the working of your IVR works is to call it yourself and try all the options, one by one. Check every routing destination and even try entering wrong inputs to see what happens. You can even stay silent to see if timeouts trigger or not. Try calling from different phone numbers and even from different network conditions to test it from all angles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This might be the last step of the IVR setup, but remember that launch is where the real work begins. Keep a check on all call reports and customer feedback to identify if customers are getting confused with the menu options. You should also monitor misrouted calls, hang-up spots, and failed self-service attempts. Each of those will point to something that needs correction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Having an IVR call flow design on paper can make things a lot easier to picture. Here’s a very simple one for you. Imagine there’s a business with 3 teams. When an incoming call arrives, the caller is greeted by the IVR along with the main menu, which says: press 1 for Sales, press 2 for Support, or press 3 for Billing. Each choice directs the caller to the right destination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then there’s the part that is often forgotten: What happens when the input isn’t according to the presented menu options. Suppose the caller enters an invalid input or stays silent. The IVR, in such situations, retries or simply hands the call to a live agent without leaving the caller stuck there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
What Do You Need Before Setting Up an IVR System?\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Business Requirements and Call Volumes\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
IVR Software and Telephony Infrastructure\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Technical and Operational Requirements <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Step-by-Step Guide to IVR System Setup <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Step 1: Define Your IVR Requirements <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
Step 2: Choose the Right IVR Software <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Step 3: Design Your IVR Call Flow <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
Step 4: Configure Greetings, Prompts, and Menu Options <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Step 5: Configure Call Routing and Business Rules <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Step 6: Integrate IVR Software with Your Telephony System <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Step 7: Configure Security and Access Controls <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Step 8: Test and Deploy the IVR System <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Step 9: Monitor and Optimize IVR Performance <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What Does an IVR Call Flow Look Like?\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Example of a Simple IVR Configuration\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n